I love bread. It’s a recent interest, so to discover the best sampling of loaves around Honolulu, I visited bakeries and asked for recommendations from the people who know the breads best: bakery workers. It was a delicious tour. Here are my top finds.
Fendu Boulangerie
The aromas at Fendu are rich and inviting, with hints of toasted grains. The daily special is focaccia, and it’s covered in parmesan, but a staffer steers me toward the best-selling French batard ($8.25). This is the perfect loaf, she says, made with the same dough as the baguettes, just with an oval shape.
A perfect loaf? I decide to take her advice. The fresh batard is pillowy with an exterior crunch and so delicious.
I can’t finish the whole loaf, so after classes, I do as she instructed: Put the bread in the oven for around 15 minutes at 325 F with a little water drizzled around. The oven brings the loaf back to warm, toasty life, just the way it tasted this morning. I’m definitely going to buy more…